Smart meter spec for IP rolls out

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Smart Energy Profile 2 specification is now complete and available online. SEP 2 is a protocol for linking smart meters to home area networks to control and manage energy use over the Internet protocol running on HomePlug, Wi-Fi or Zigbee nets.

As many as 40 million smart meters were built or deployed based on the original spec, which only used older versions of Zigbee that did not support the Internet Protocol. Some operators delayed smart meter roll outs, waiting for the broader, IP-based standard.

The news comes just three weeks after the Zigbee group formally rolled out its spec for supporting IP.

Proponents have hosted multiple interoperability tests of SEP 2.0 chips and smart meters. First commercial products are expected to be formally certified before the end of the year although precertified versions may ship sooner.

“We understand many companies have plans to bring products to market in 2014,” said a Zigbee Alliance spokesman.

“We are hopeful this will encourage those who have stood on the sidelines waiting for SEP 2 to go past the trial and pilot approach to deployments,” he added.

“The vision of the smart grid is to enable empowered consumers and a more stable, reliable and efficient energy supply,” said George Arnold, director of the standards coordination office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology who has pushed for smart grid standards.

“The ratification of SEP 2 represents a significant step in enabling that vision and the evolution of the 21st century smart grid,” Arnold added, speaking in a press statement.